Dental bridge



(No Model.)

G. L. CURTIS.

DENTAL BRIDGE.

N0.- 424,924. Patented Apr. 1,1890.

y'VENTOR ATTORNEY,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. CURTIS, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

DENTAL BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .Patent No. 424,924, dated April1, 1890.

Application filed January 28, 1889. Serial No. 297,752. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE .L. CURTIS, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Dental Bridges, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.-

My invention relates to an improved dental bridge, and has for itsobject the production of a simple and effective device, which may bereadily applied to the teeth without undue cutting away of the same,upon which the bridge or crown of artificial teeth maybe readilyanchored; and to this end it consists, essentially, in caps or crownsadapted to be mounted upon the natural tooth or a root thereof, andprovided with a portion of a divided truss, upon which the artificialteeth or crowns are mounted by engagement therewith.

It furthermore consists in the detail construction and arrangement ofthe parts, all as hereinafter more particularly described, and pointedout in the claims."

In specifying my invention reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which like lettersindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a detached section of a portion of a jaw having a molar andbicuspid tooth in natural position thereon, with the natural interveningteeth withdrawn, the ordinary caps provided upon the crowns of the teethand connected together by the usual truss, and artificial crowns mountedupon the bridge in the position of the natural teeth. Fig. 2 representsa like view to that illustrated in Fig. 1, with the exception that thecaps provided upon the teeth are formed or provided with .my improveddivided truss or projecting wings, and the artificial crowns are adaptedto be mounted upon and engage this divided truss. Fig. 3 is a plan viewof a detached portion of a jaw with a molar and bicuspid tooth shownthereon, and provided with my improved bridge supports or truss, theteeth inclining out of their true straight position, as is frequentlythe case, and a dotted line drawn upon the teeth indicating the amountof the same, which would necessarily be cut away in fitting the ordinaryconstruction of bridge-work. Fig. 4 is a detached View of' a bridge orcrown of two artificial crowns adapted to be anchored upon and engage myimproved truss. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken through line a:90, Fig. 4:, the bridge or crown of crowns being shown as mounted uponthe jaw. Fig. (3 is a' detached view of a cap for an ordinary straightmolar tooth provided with a half of my improved support or truss for thebridge of artificial crowns, and Fig. 7 is a detached View of anartificial crown of a tooth provided with the opposite half of myimproved support or truss for the bridge of artificial teeth.

A represents the jaw, B, a truss supported or anchored upon naturalteeth or roots 0, and provided with a bridge orcrown of artificialcrowns D, mounted thereupon.

It has of recent yea-rs been the custom with dentists, upon the loss ofnatural teeth, to provide jaws with a bridge or crown of artificialcrowns mounted upon a truss anchored upon sound crowns or roots of theteeth, thus obviating the necessity of plates in the mouth, andproviding the jaw with teeth but little inferior to the natural ones. Aspreviously designed, these trusses or backing for the teeth have beencontinuous in length, and have been mounted or anchored upon suitablesupports best fitted to the sound crown or root, upon which theextremities of the same are anchored. Then the natural crowns aresufficiently sound, it is usually preferable to cement or otherwiseanchor thereupon a suitable cap fitting the natural crown. Vhen notsufficiently sound for the anchorage of a cap, it is usually customaryto provide an artificial crown upon a firm natural root and then rigidlysecure the truss or bridge support upon the artificial crown.

Vt hen caps are used upon the teeth, it will be seen that the tooth mustbe sufficiently cut away to allow of the vertical movement necessitatedin fitting the separate caps joined together by the truss for the bridgeof artificial teeth. This movement is always obtainable when the teethare straight in form; but when the same are inclined toward or away fromeach other, or inwardly or outwardly, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 ofthe drawings, it will readily be seen that the tooth structure must .begreatly cut away, as

shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3; otherwiseit would be impossible to fit the ordinary truss for bridge-work uponthe teeth when the crowns thereof are inclined out of their naturalposition.

The cutting away of the tooth structure is frequently an extremelypainful operation, from the liability of the contact of air with thepulp of the tooth. Moreover, the life of the tooth is greatly endangeredby the cutting away of the outside shell of the tooth, and it isfrequently the case that after the operation of fitting bridge-work inthe mouth has been entirely completed the tooth-pulp becomes diseased bythe reason of the undue cutting away of the outside shell of the toothand necessitates the removing of the bridgework.

To obviate the cutting away of the tooth structure, as necessitated byfitting the ordinarily-constructed bridge-work, I provide the caps Z) orother supports with projecting wings I) 1), extending toward each otherand forming a divided truss, to which the bridge of artificial crowns I)may be readily anchored. The dividing of the truss B allows each halfthereof to be made independent of the other half and to be fitted uponits separate support, thus obviating the cutting away of the toothstructure C.

The supports h forthe divided truss I may be made of caps, asillustrated, when the teeth are comparatively sound; or they may consistof artificial crowns, as shown in Fig. 7, mounted on natural roots ofthe teeth, which artificial crowns may be secured to the natural rootsby any of the usual processes in use.

The bridge of artificial crowns I) is preferably formed on the back facethereof with a slot (7, adapted to receive and engage the arms or wingsI), forming the divided truss l but it will be apparent that, ifdesired, the separate halves of the divided truss may be provided withpins orother supports to which the bridge or crown of artificial teethmay be secured. It is frequently advisable to slightly bevel the halvesof the divided truss l3 and to suitably bevel the slots (Z in the teeth,as by thus forming the parts the strain to which they are subjected isto be more readily withstood. The bridge of artificial crowns I) as sofar described is removably secured. to the truss B, and may be detachedtherefrom at will. However, in some instances it is desirable to securethe same rigidly to the truss, and by coating the truss or the slot (Zwith a suitable cement or paste the bridge of artificial crowns will befirmly held upon the divided truss, whence it may be disengaged by theapplication of heat or by otherwise overcoming the action of the cementor paste. This bridge is readily adapted for use in every case, and, asdescribed, is removed from its truss when desircd,and also when inposition can be readily cleansed, affording a very desirableconstruction of bridge-work.

The object of myinvention will be readily understood, and it will beseen that by dividing the truss into two halves I obviate the cuttingaway of the tooth structure and greatly facilitate the fitting ofartificial teeth by bridge-work when the supporting-teeth are inclinedout of their natural position.

It will be readily understood that the illustrated construction of trussand the means for attaching the bridge of artificial crowns to the sameare only my preferred construction, and that the parts may be greatlyvaried in form and construction without departing from the spirit of myinvention, which is the production of a divided truss and a removablebridge. Moreover,it will be understood that I do not limit myself toconstruct my improved bridge or crown so that the same resembles theartificial teeth, since, although this is desirable, it is notabsolutely necessary.

llaving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a divided truss, supported upon natural roots orcrowns of the teeth, with a bridge or crown removably secured to saiddivided truss, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

The herein described support for a bridge, the same consisting ofsupports anchored upon the natural roots or crowns of the teeth, andarms 71, provided upon said anchored supports, said arms projectingtoward each other, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of supports mounted on the natural teeth or the rootsthereof, arms I), projecting toward each other, and artificial crowns D,removably engaging the arms I), substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

1. The combination of supports mounted on the natural teeth or the rootsthereof, arms I), projecting from the said supports, and artificial.crowns I), having slots (Z for engaging the arms I), substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihavehereu n to signed my name, in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of ()nondaga, in theState of New Yorlgthis 25th day of January, 1989.

GEORGE L. CUR'JIS. Witnesses:

CLARK II. Non'roN, A. E. PARSONS.

